Once again, we celebrate the declaration of Philippine independence. It might be good to reflect on the fact that this declaration was written in Spanish, and that the document indicates that independence was obtained "under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America." With a little more digging, I’m sure it can be established that some of the signatories were of Chinese descent.

I bring up these details because it is not just where we were born that makes us Filipino. A Filipino is someone who bears traces of the non-Filipinos who occupied or visited—whether welcome or not—the group of islands now known as the Philippines. These traces are embedded in our language, history, food, habits, dreams, prejudices, etc. Whether these "souvenirs" from the Spaniards, Americans, and Chinese were good or bad for Filipinos is debatable. And while there are those who will blame non-Filipinos for everything that is wrong with the Philippines today, I think it's time to accept that this is who we are, that we each have the freedom to make our own decisions, and ultimately we are responsible—and not the non-Filipinos—for who we have become.